Tag: sport

Tennis superstar Roger Federer has won his 20th Grand Slam Title and his 6th Australian Open trophy. In a dramatic match, the Swissman beat Croatian Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6 and 6-1. The match went on for over 3 hours with both players being exhausted at the end. It was one of the hottest tournaments ever played on the ATP tour. In some of the matches temperatures reached 40° C (104 ° F).

Federer is the first to win 20 Grand Slam titles. He has won three out of the last 5 Grand Slams. At 36 Federer became thesecondoldest man towin agrand slam title after KenRosewall who won the Australian Open in 1972. In addition, he has become the oldest player ever to climb to the top of the ATP rankings.

The sympathetic Swiss player had the majority of supporters on his side at Melbourne Park. Red and white flags dominated the arena. In a game that went back andforth, Federer’s experience was decisivein winning the final set.

After dominating men’s tennis for a decade, the Swissman’s intermediatedownfall started in 2013 when he lost in the second round at Wimbledon and failed to reach the quarter-finals in the following three Grand Slam events. After suffering from a series of back injuries between 2013 and 2016 Federer made an amazing comeback last year.

Tennis is a sport in which injuries take their toll during the latter part of an athlete’s career. Federer rivals Raphael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, both in their 30s, are also coping with injury problems.

Roger Federer – Image: Tatiana

Words

ATP tour = worldwide series of tournaments for professional tennis players; they take place at the same time every year

back = back part of your body between the neck and legs

back and forth = here: both players took turns winning sets

beat = win against

comeback = here to win again after an unsuccessful time

cope with = deal with

decade = ten years

decisive = here: it is why he won

dominate = here: more than other flags

downfall = here: when you suddenly start losing matches

exhausted = very tired

experience = here: the skill and knowledge you have from winning many difficult matches

fail = did not

Grand Slam = the four most important tennis tournaments = Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open

in addition = also

injury = damage to a part of your body

intermediate = here: for a short time in between other phases

latter = last

majority = here: most of the people in the stadium

quarter-finals = the last eight players in a tournament

ranking = position on a list that shows how good you are compared to others

reach = get to

rival = person who you play against

suffer = to be in pain

supporter = person who cheers for you in an event

take their toll = to have a bad effect on something over a longer period of time

tournament = series of matches in which players play against each other until there is one winner

trophy = large object, like a cup or plate made out of silver or gold, that someone receives as a prize for winning a sports event

In an attempt to reduce the number of accidents and make climbing safer, Nepal has banned solo mountaineers from climbing Mount Everest and other peaks. In addition, beginning in January 2018, all foreign climbers will need a guide. The new law also prohibits blind and double amputee climbers from trying to reach the top peaks.

More than 200 people have died in an attempt to reach Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, since 1920. The majority of deaths have occurred within the last 40 years. Recently, an 85-year-old mountaineer died in an attempt to be the oldest human to reachthe top of MountEverest. Two Europeans died while making a solo climb last spring.

Although mountaineers die for a number of reasons, almost every fifth death is caused by acute mountain sickness. Authorities have announced that they will checkmedical certificates of climbers to see if they are physically capable of sucha demandingtask.

In addition to more safety, Nepalese authoritieshope that the new law will createmore jobs for mountain guides in the country. The government will also give Everest climbing certificates to high altitude guides and workers hired by foreign climbers.

Local citizens have welcomed the new law, but some officials fear that banning physically handicapped people from climbing could get them into conflict with human rights organisations.

According to statistics, 4,800 climbers have reached the top of Mount Everest since Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary’s historic climb in 1953.

Mountaineer in Nepal – Image: McKay Savage

Words

according to = as reported by …

acute = an illness that comes very quickly

although = while

announce = to say officially

attempt = try to do something

authorities = organisation in a government that controls and decides certain things

ban = stop; forbid

capable = able

create = make

demanding task = activity that is very difficult to do

double amputee = someone who has lost both legs or both arms

foreign= from another country

guide = a person who shows you the way

high altitude = very high place

hire = to pay money to a person for a job they do

historic = when something important happened in history

human= person

human rights organisation = organisation in which people fight for the basic rights that everyone should have, like the right to vote or freedom of the press

in addition = also

law = rule, regulation

local citizen= person who lives in the region

majority = most of

medical certificate = piece of paper you get from a doctor or hospital that shows you are fit to do something

mountaineer = person who climbs high mountains in their free time

occur = happen

official = person who is in a high position in an organisation

peak = the highest part of a mountain

physically handicapped = person who cannot use parts of their body because of an accident or illness

Boxing Day, the 26th of December, has become a traditional day of sports in the UK, with many events taking place all across the country.

The day got its name from a time when many upper-class families gave boxes of gifts to poor people who had to work at Christmas while everybody else was celebrating. Boxing Day is celebrated in many Commonwealth countries.

The first important sports event on Boxing Day took place back in 1860 when two of the oldest football clubs in England played against each other. Today the Englisch Premier Leagueschedules a full round of matches on this Christmas holiday. In many cases, teams that are geographically close to each other play on Boxing Day so that fans do not have that far to travel.

While most European football leagues take a winter break, sometimes for several weeks, English football continues between Christmas and New Year.

The holiday schedule is welcomed by many football fans, but there are criticshowever who say that the Christmas season is a time when everybody should be at home with their families. Some managerspoint out that the season is very long and major teams need a break for players to recover from injuries.

Football is not the only popular sport that is played on Boxing Day. Horse racing and rugby have also seen regular sports events on the second day of Christmas. Traditional fox hunting is opposed by more and more Britons. In addition, Boxing Day has become one of the strongest betting days of the year.

Traditional King George VI Chase on Boxing Day – Image: Carine06 , https://www.flickr.com/photos/43555660@N00/8315710432/

Words

betting = when people risk money on the results of games or future events

break = pause; a time during which you have no games

celebrate = to have fun or do something special

Commonwealth = group of about 50 countries that were once a part of the British Empire

critics = people who think that certain things are not good

everybody else = all the other people

gift = present

however = but

in addition = also

injury = when a part of your body gets hurt

major = important

manager = someone who is in charge of and coaches a football team

oppose = to be against

point out = to say something that is important for you

Premier League = the 20 best football teams of England an Wales which play against each other

recover = to get better

schedule = to plan something for a certain time

traditional = something that has existed for a long time

UK = United Kingdom

welcome = to be glad that something happens

winter break = time during which teams do not play because it is too cold or there is too much snow on the ground

The International Olympic Committee has banned Russia from taking part in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Russian officials are not allowed to take part in the opening ceremony and the Russian flag will not be raised.

Russian athletes, however, will be able to take part as individuals under a neutral flag if the IOC has determined that they have been clean athletes in the past.

The decision comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that Russia was guilty of systematic doping during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. In a case of state-sponsored doping, officials tampered with urine samples to hide athletes’ drug abuse. More than 20 Russian athletes, among them some medal winners, have been disqualified from the final Sochi results.

The whole investigation into the doping claim started when Grigory Rodchenko, director of Russia’s anti-doping lab in Sochi 2014, defected to the United States. He stated that the country ran an official doping programme and switched samples during the Games. Doping was especiallywidespread in sports like biathlon and cross-country skiing. A report by the World’s anti-doping organization (WADA) stated that between 2012 and 2015 a thousand Russian athletes in 30 sports benefited from the programme.

Although many countries welcomed the IOC’s decision, it was sharply criticized in Russia. Some officials urged the country not to allow any of its athletes to take part in Pyeongchang Olympics. Russia would have ranked first in the Sochi medal table, but lost 13 medals because of the scandal, 4 of them in gold.

Vladimir Putin congratulates Alexandr Zubkov at a ceremony for Russian athletes during the Sochi Olympics. Zubkov is one of several Russian athletes who lost his medals because of doping. Image: www.kremlin.ru

Words

although = while

athlete = someone who takes part in a sports competition

ban = an order that does not allow a country to take part

benefit = something that helps you get better

biathlon = event in which athletes ski across fields and then shoot a rifle

claim = to say that something is true even if you have not proved it

clean athlete = an athlete who has not taken any illegal drugs

confirm = to say that something is true by giving proof

cross-country skiing = a race in which you ski-across fields

decision = order

defect = to leave your home country to go somewhere else, mostly because you have something to be afraid of

determine = find out the facts

disqualify = to take athletes out of the official results

doping = the practice of using drugs to improve performance in sport

drug abuse = here: taking drugs illegally

especially = above all

guilty = to do something that is not allowed

however = but

individual = here: a single person, not part of a country’s team

investigation = here: when organizations try to find out the truth about something

medal table = list that shows the number of medals that each country has won

official = person in a high position in an organisation

opening ceremony = the first event at the start of the Olympic Games

raise = put up

rank = the position in a table

sharply = very strongly

state-sponsored = the government knew about doping

switch = replace, exchange

tamper = to change something without permission

urge = to strongly suggest that you do something

urine samples = yellow liquid waste that comes out of your body; by examining urine experts can see if there are any illegal substances that an athlete has taken

The next Olympic Games have been awarded to Paris and Los Angeles. Both cities will host the games for the third time. 2024 will mark the 100th anniversary of the second Paris Olympics. The city had already organised the summer games of 1900. The 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles for the third time, after 1932 and 1984. It is the first time that the International Olympic Committee has named host cities for two summer games at once. Los Angeles originally wanted the 2024 games but agreed to hosting them 4 years later.

The IOC presented the new hosts at a time when the organisation is troubled by corruption and accusations that some members took bribes to vote for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are expected to provide jobs and growth to the city. According to city officials, the games will generate 11 billion dollars in income and create jobs for 250 000 people in the next seven years. Although Paris already has many venues ready for the games, several new ones will be built. The city wants to attract visitors not only with the best sports stadiums but also with its unique cultural and historical sites.

Los Angeles organizers have also said they want to use many existing structures built in the 1980s in order to make the games as cost-efficient as possible.

After recent terrorist attacks in Paris, London, Barcelona and other major cities , security is expected to be the main factor for both events.

Today, not very many cities are keen on organising major sports events. On one side bidding costs millions of dollars and on the other side holding the games themselves costs local authorities and governments billions.

Olympic Torch Tower at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles

Words

according to = as said by …

accusation = statement that says someone has done something wrong or against the law

agree = to say yes to something

although = while

award = give to someone

anniversary = date or year in which something important took place

bidding = here: to offer to organize an event

bribe = to give someone money illegally and you expect them to do something for you in return

cost-efficient = here: to save money by using buildings or infrastructure that already exist

generate = produce , create

growth = businesses and the economy grow in a certain region

host = here: city that holds a special event

income = the money you get for the work you do

keen on = happy to do something

local authorities = here: the people who are in charge of ruling a town or city